Weaning, Tips

• Change the routine. Have Dad take over the bedtime or nursing-time tasks that Mom formerly handled (dressing, reading stories).


• Take the weaning child for a long car ride at nursing time.


• Introduce a "transition object"-a toy, lullaby tape or book, for example-at 12 to 15 months, so the baby learns to associate something besides nursing with going to sleep. This will make it much easier to wean your baby.


• Offer a snack-juice and a favorite food-at nursing time.


• The favorite nursing sessions (e.g., morning and bedtime) should be last to go.


• Manage engorged breasts with a "bra salad"-raw cabbage leaves tucked between your breast and the bra.


• Manually express as much milk as you can when you feel painfully full.


• Sleep in a stretchy exercise bra, with nursing pads to soak up leaking milk. It's not unusual to leak for more than a month after weaning. Some women's breasts still produce a drop or two of milk more than a year after they wean their baby.

The information contained in this topic is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice; it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information. Please read the disclaimer notice on our website for further information. This copy is reprinted with permission from our practice and Pediatric Web, Inc and is intended for a one-time only use by the reader. Please contact Pediatric Web, Inc for reprint permission for multiple copies.